


Your shadow glows brighter than me (maybe my mind could dull you down)

by godamnitparker



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man (Tom Holland Movies), The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Field Trip, Flash Thompson Needs a Hug, Flash Thompson Redemption, Flash and Peter friendship, I Blame Tumblr, I Don't Even Know, Ned Leeds is a Good Bro, Not Spider-Man: Far From Home Compliant, POV Flash Thompson, Peter Parker Needs a Hug, Peter Parker's Field Trip to Stark Industries, Peter is a Little Shit, Post-Avengers: Endgame (Movie), That's not even a tag lol, Tony Stark Acting as Peter Parker's Parental Figure, Tony Stark is Good With Kids
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-25
Updated: 2020-03-03
Packaged: 2021-02-27 12:40:31
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,514
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22387333
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/godamnitparker/pseuds/godamnitparker
Summary: Another field trip trope with a twist...'Peter Parker is an attention seeking nerd.' Flash knows that's not true but maybe if he says it enough, people will start to believe him. Maybe,if he says it enough, he'll feel better about himself. To be honest, Flash would give anything to take Peter's place. He knows that Peter has been through hell, losing his parents at four, his uncle at fourteen, living in a tiny Queens apartment with just his aunt. But the worst part for him is over, the pain is just from memories. But for Flash, it's still very real. Every day when he gets home, he'll be reminded how pathetic he is compared to his brothers, his bruises will remind him of the pain that his dad says he deserves, school will remind him of how little he actually is and Peter will make him think of everything he will never have. So he'll make sure Peter can never get the courage to say everything he is most scared of. He'll make sure no one sees who he truly is. He'll put Peter Parker in his place, remind him that he is not enough. And the best way to let that sink in, is obviously at Stark Tower, where he has his fake(real, Flash knows it's real) internship.
Relationships: Betty Brant & Michelle Jones & Ned Leeds & May Parker (Spider-Man) & Peter Parker, Betty Brant & Michelle Jones & Ned Leeds & Peter Parker, Friday & Flash Thompson, Michelle Jones & Ned Leeds & Peter Parker, Michelle Jones & Peter Parker, Ned Leeds & Peter Parker, Peter Parker & Flash Thompson, Tony Stark & Flash Thompson
Comments: 19
Kudos: 430





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Please let me remind you that through this fic, I'm not justifying bullying or romanticising it. If you are being bullied, please seek help, tell someone, don't let it get out of hand.  
> I love you guys please take care of yourself and love yourself.

Flash sat at the back of the class with his head tucked in his arms, paying attention to everything that was happening but too tired to actually care. The class would end in three minutes and he was just counting seconds.

" Alright class, you're dispersed. Anyone who is in the school's Academic decathlon team, please stay back." Mr. Harrison said as a majority of the class hurried out leaving only Abe, Betty, Ned, Peter, Michelle and himself.  
"Michelle, being the captain, please give them the news", Mr. Harrison said, obviously trying to be calm but finally breaking into a Cheshire Cat smile.  
Michelle strutted up to the front of the class in the same 'I know you people are scared if me so I'll take it in my stride ' composure she had had since third grade probably .   
"So, before you needs freak out, I'll remind you that just because we won state last year, we had some major problems in the science questions and as our only science geek had flaked-" she threw a look at Peter to which he hung his head in embarrassment and Flash smirked "- so we're going to work on that. Since we are studying in a STEM school, we pulled some strings and got us a chance to go on a field trip to somewhere really special so that you needs can take notes, observe and hopefully not freak out too much. Cool ? Cool."  
Flash immediately looked away, thinking of the disaster three-day trip to MoMA where half the class ,himself included, had turned to ashes. All of them had reappeared five years later, exactly where they had ' blipped ' scaring the shit out of the staff. Stupid Ned Leeds reminded Michelle ( he called her MJ, how dare he! why didn't Michelle snap at him like she had when he had called her that?) that she had never actually mentioned where they were going. 

"Oh yeah, Congratulations team, we're going to Stark Industries for a field trip . Go nuts, geek out, do your Wildcats cheer or whatever I'm out of here." Flash watched as Peter Parker's jaw slacked, Ned and Abe freaked out while Betty just looked around with her annoying golden girl smile. He himself was pumped. Stark Industries was where he dreamed of working someday. Despite his reputation, he was actually really smart with the best ranking in class second only to Peter and sometimes Michelle. All he had to do was impress Tony Stark and keep his mouth in control. Which he didn't at that exact moment. In typical Lindsay Lohan style, the word vomit just tumbled out of his mouth, " Hey Parker, ready to have your ass kicked by Iron Man when he hears you've been lying about your dumb Stark internship?"  
"Lay off him Flash, besides, I doubt we're actually going to meet Tony Stark at the field trip." Golden girl said, making Flash burn with annoyance.  
"Whatever, Brant. He's still a loser."

(^^)(^^)(^^)

Flash went home with a permission slip to sign and a head full of exaggerated dreams. Maybe when Tony Stark saw his true potential, he'd hire him and then his dad would realize that he's not actually a loser and his brothers wouldn't look down on him anymore. Maybe his mother would look at him the same way she looks at Connor and Raymond, with stars in her eyes. This trip was his one chance to get his life back on track and he was determined to not let Parker steal his spotlight again.

That night when his dad got home, he set the permission slip next to his plate at the dinner table and stood by his chair, waiting expectantly near the chair. When Aaron Thompson sat at the dinner table with one glass of champagne and a permission slip to sign, the first thing he should have asked was, " How was your day?", instead he went with, " doesn't that Parker kid have an internship her, I talked to his aunt the other day, pesky little woman but not hard on the eyes, you should talk to him. Get in a good word. It's not like Stark would consider you on his own."  
His words only reminded flash of what he didn't have. Stupid Parker with the stupid internship and the stupid grades to earn it. Flash needed this to prove everybody wrong. That's what he was thinking about when he submitted the signed slip to Me. Harrison the next day, right after a beaten down Peter Parker handed his own slip. Flash was going to get the internship and win his father's approval again and no one was going to stop him, not even Peter 'I know Spider-Man' Parker.

(+_+)(+_+)(+_+)

Thirteenth of March was here. Flash and the other Decathlon students stood in a crowd near the school bus while Mr. Harrington looked for Peter. 'Typical Parker, missing on the day his fake internship cover was going to be blown, could he be more obvious?'. Abe huffed a sigh of relief as Peter came running towards the group, Mr. Harrison walking behind him.   
'Good, Everyone is here, we are going to Stark Industries." Mr. Harrison said, looking as though he himself didn't believe it.   
The bus ride to Stark Industries was two whole hours filled with Ned and Abe freaking out, Michelle quizzing Betty on Dickens, Peter furiously apologizing to both Mr. Harrison and Michelle and Flash dreaming about his bright future as heir of Stark Industries. 

"I'm assuming you kids are here from Midtown."  
"Yeah."  
"Great, I'm Evie, I'll be your tour guide today. Follow me please. Janet will give your badges. Make sure you don't lose them, we won't provide you with another one. Mr Harrison, please lead the group." 

They were introduced to F.R.I.D.A.Y , Stark's AI , who announced the security and threat levels as they scanned their badges.  
"Abe Wilson , student. Security Clearance : level 3 . Threat Level : Minimal " the AI announced .  
"That's not fair, I'm pretty sure I could blow up some tech. " Abe mumbled.  
"I'm sure you could but we go to extreme levels to see that it doesn't happen." Eve replied, with obviously no sense of humor.  
When it was Flash's turn to scan his badge, his insides were spittling like he was on a roller coaster ride. There was no reason for him to be this excited but he was. He got the same response that Abe had gotten but that was fine, if he couldn't be better that at least he'd be good enough. However his mood was crushed when Peter scanned his badge.  
"Peter Parker, student. Security Clearance : level 9. Threat Level : 10."   
Word vomit .   
"Wait, how's Puny Parker a threat. And why does he have higher Security Clearance than we do? Who'd you hump for this, Parker."   
Peter winced and hid his eyes while Mr.Harrison reprimanded Flash for his 'unprofessional language'. The tour moved on after Mr. Harrison secretly cornered Flash and whisper-yelled 'dont blow this for me' in the most desperate tone. He shut up after that.

To say Flash was mad would be an understatement. They had barely been here for 30 minutes and Parker was already outshining him in every way possible. How was Tony Stark going to notice him if everything went on the way it was? He needed to do something. Quick. But what?


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The team has a mini Decathlon quiz and ohMyGOD!! It's TONY StARk!!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guys I received such good reviews so quickly and ohMyGOD I'm blushing what😍😊😊😚  
> You guys are so good to me. Ilysm. What did u think of this chapter?? I'll update soon ilyy

The field trip was going smoothly for everyone, except Flash and Peter. Both boys were filled with anxious and jittery thoughts. All Flash wanted was for Peter to somehow get out of his way and allow him to impress the Stark employees with his smarts. Peter on the other hand was terrified of being outed. Not only was he an intern at Stark Industries but also Spider-Man and Tony Stark's regular visitor. He knew most of the employees in the R&D lab and some of them knew him too, having done several projects with him in the past. Besides, every time he came near Flash, his Spidey senses would start acting up. Something was wrong and Peter just wanted a break. 

" We'll take a short interlude and stop for snacks in the canteen and after that we'll be visiting the R&D labs." Evie announced.  
The class followed her into the canteen where a wide assortment of snacks were distributed on the tables. While Evie talked to a black haired man, Flash filled up on toast and mashed potatoes, not eating much due to the nausea spreading in his chest. Peter picked his nails and fiddled with the hem of his shirt while Jason from R&D talked to Evie. He was sure he would be recognized now and was doing a bad job of hiding behind Ned without being too obvious about it. The Decathlon students chatted excitedly about all they had seen by now while Mr. Harrington made shrieky comments about how amazing an opportunity this was for them.

The black haired guy turned to the group and said in a hot, administrative tone," Guys, my name is Jason. We're setting up to have a quick quiz in the Meeting Hall. Few esteemed members of Stark Industries will be attending so do your best not to embarrass yourselves. It will be starting in about ten minutes."  
Ned let out a shaky breath while Peter's head ran it's anxious gears once again. 'What did Tony have in store for him?'.  
Flash beamed with excitement, thinking of how he'd do great at the quiz and impress these ' esteemed Stark employees ' . Now was his time to shine.

Within thirty minutes, the team was seated in uncomfortable chairs on the stage while Mr. Harrington sat in the audience which included strangers with notepads.  
' Shit, they're writing reports on us.'  
Flash rubbed his sweaty hands against each other as he saw TONY FREAKING STARK enter the auditorium.  
"We will begin now." Jason announced.

He read out the first question from a paper," What is Darwin's theory of the origin of species?"  
Shit that's easy.  
" Darwin's theory of species origination says that natural selection chooses organisms that possess variable and heritable traits and that are best suited for their environments." He blurted, feeling important as Mr. Harrington smiled at him in encouragement.

"Next, what is the difference between belief and knowledge?"  
Michelle spoke up,"The knowledge depicts the objective existence or reality, while belief is a subjective approach. Belief can be associated with principles, while knowledge is nothing but an establishment of facts." 

The quiz went on for one and a half hours. Flash answered most of the biology and computer questions, earning impressed glances from Mr. Harrington and in few occasions, Tony Stark himself. Overall, Flash was ecstatic. At least he had earned the attention from Iron Man himself. However, his excitement didn't last. As they walked out of the auditorium, he saw Mr. Stark pat Peter's back and whisper something in his ear, leaving both of them in cheek piercing smiles. Stupid Parker. Stealing his thunder again. He shot Parker a dirty look as they joined the group and immediately hoped no one else saw it and got the wrong impression. 

Evie returned to the group, smiling wide. " Congratulations Midtown, you did great in the quiz. You'll be happy to know that Dr. Stark himself was very impressed by you. He is allowing a short Q&A in a few minutes so get ready." 

Flash turned to Peter," Yo, Parker, I saw you talking to Mr Stark over there. Want to tell us all what he wanted to talk to you about." He said this loud enough for the team to hear but not enough so that that Mr Harrington or Evie would hear. All the kids turned to Peter while Michelle and Ned angrily glared at flash.  
"I told you I interned here. H-he just wanted to ask if I had completed m-my last project." Parker stutters out. What does Stark see in him? He can't even talk without making a fool out of himself.  
"What project, Parker? You gonna tell us that you're working on Spider-Man's webshooters now or what?" He smirked as Peter turned completely red.  
"Stick it in your ass, Flash." Michelle cut him off, almost fuming.  
"That's right, stick up for the flake. Maybe if you could stop making heart eyes at him, you'd see how pathetic he really is."  
"Flash, please, not here." Betty pleaded while Michelle looked at him with murder in her eyes and Peter desperately stared at the ground as if he was waiting for it to open up and swallow him whole.

The Q&A started smoothly. Michelle made curt remarks about Stark Industries' energy usage and their lack of attention in the pollution department. Tony Stark explained the usage of the arc reactor to produce clean energy. Ned asked about F.R.I.D.A.Y and his other AIs to which Tony nostalgically started talking about JARVIS and a new AI he was working on called JOCASTA. Flash scoffed at Peter when he blushed and smiled at the mention of JOCASTA.  
What the hell is wrong with this guy? He hated him so much. Stupid Parker with his stupid smile, stupid red cheeks,dumb curly hair. Stupid Parker. He hated him. More than death himself. He. Hated. Peter. Benjamin. Parker. So why was he so invested? All he wanted to do right now was embarrass Parker in front of Tony Stark. Stupid Parker.

" Sir, do you hire high schoolers as your interns?" Flash asked with an innocent smile and glared at Peter.  
"Not really. We prefer college students or graduates as some of the projects and experiments can be dangerous."  
" I see. So if someone, perhaps a high schooler, was spreading fake rumors about being an intern at Stark Industries, how would he be dealt with?"  
"Kid, I hope you're not talking about yourself."  
"Of course not, this is purely hypothetical, sir."  
" We do not take rumors kindly so I assure you, if fake rumors were being spread, we'd deal with it ourselves and it won't be very pretty."  
Flash smiled smugly. Puny Parker was done for.

On the other side of the room, Michelle and Ned were fuming.  
" I'm gonna kill him, Ned."  
"MJ, that's illegal."  
" It's not illegal if America benefits from it."  
" That's not a good enough excuse."  
"Fuck."  
Peter shushed them. " It's fine guys, at least he didn't mention me." 

" Hear that Parker, Stark Industries doesn't hire High Schoolers. You're gonna get your ass whooped by Iron Man himself."  
" Shit."  
At the end of the table, Tony Stark grew more and more confused. Peter told them about the internship? Also, what was this Flash kid's problem? Also, what kind of name is flash? Wait wait. First. Damage control.  
" Peter Parker is in fact my personal intern. He doesn't work in the R&D lab like the other interns. He helps me with my own projects. All important stuff. Super hush hush. My suit.,Spider-Man's suit, coffee runs and other stuff. You know, preparation for taking over the company. Really smart stuff."  
How many times had he said 'stuff'? Shit. Did he just say 'take over the company'? They hadn't had that talk yet. He mentally kicked himself.  
On the other hand, Peter was more red-faced than ever.  
" Dude, you didn't tell me you're the heir to the company." Ned whispered.  
"I didn't know, Ned."  
" Wow. That's a sucky way to get that information. I'm so glad I'm here to see Flash's face though."  
MJ already had her notepad out. Flash's face was going to the 'People in Distress' section. This is the funniest shit she's ever seen.

Flash was flabbergasted. Peter Parker was a Stark heir. He'd been bullying the future owner of Stark Industries. This sucked. His dad would freak out. All chances of winning his father's approval gone, Flash sat back down in his seat, steadying himself so that he didn't have a breakdown right here right now.

"Alrighty kids, question time is over. Go play fetch or whatever. Run along now. Empty the room", Tony casually kicked everyone out and held the Flash kid back. Peter looked back worriedly but he should him away, hoping to get a one on one chat with the Thompson kid. Great. This is going to be absolutely great.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is shit lol what do you think hehe


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay this is incredibly short but I have writer's block so ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯

Flash refused to look up from the spot on the ground where a small scrape in the carpet could be seen. His cheeks were covered in what seemed to be a permanent blush. To say he was embarrassed was an understatement. He had been bullying Peter for ages, never realizing he was being hurtful. His stupid jealousy and internalized insecurities had transformed into intense hatred for the boy. Now here he was, being scrutinized by the boy's boss/mentor who seemed to be quite bitter about the treatment he had been putting Peter through. 

"Yeah I know the carpet's torn. I screwed that up. Pepper doesn't know yet. Wanna help me push that chair over it so that it can't be seen?", Tony broke the silence, sounding more jovial than he felt.

"Huh?"

"I'm asking you to help me hide my mistake from my fiance who has unchecked OCD. What do you think, kid?

"Uh yeah sure. Cool, I'll help you with it."

They lift the armchair in the corner of the room, holding it from opposite sides and waddling towards the spot on the carpet. Tony's eyes are fixed on him as he tries his best to not drop the chair. 

"Oof, I'm getting too old for this." 

"Mr. Stark you've fought aliens." Flash let's it slip out, then blushes furiously as he sees Tony smirk. 

"You know, kid. For someone who has such a problem with Pete, you sure sound like him. " 

"I- I don't have a p-problem with him." 

"Sounds like it from what I've heard" 

" Mr. Stark I'm so sorry. I didn't realize I was being such a dick to him. I was just- "

"Jealous? Yeah I got that. Listen kid, you can't let your hateful feelings hurt someone else. That's not how it works. You've probably been taught how to control your anger. You know, count to ten, breathe, meditate- "

" I know, I'm sorry I- "

"Don't interrupt me."

" Sorry. Sorry. I'm sorry sir."

"Look. The kids been through some tough shit. Fuck, you don't even know half the stuff he's been through. But if he comes to Lab days, looking all roughed up cause of some prissy kid who can't control himself, I'm gonna get real pissed. And that's exactly how I feel right now. But anger is not the option. Listen to the adult, seriously. I've fucked up my friendships because of anger and hatred but I won't let my kid get hurt because of it. So I'm asking you nicely, you wanna talk about it ?"

"Mr. Stark I- "

"Kid, when Iron Man wants to have a heart to heart with you, you should really accept the offer. " 

" I just- it's not fair. It's not fair he gets everything. I work harder than him. He doesn't even show up to classes but no one fucking cares, he even has fucking Iron Man wrapped around his finger. " Flash gasps out. He's forgot all about the floor now. 

" Kid- " 

" No, it's not fair. He left Liz at the dance and no one fucking said shit to him. He doesn't show up to Decathlon practice, he even ditched us at the Empire State Building and we just welcome him back like nothing fucking happened. He acts like a fucking noob in gym even though I know he has fucking rock hard abs. He's just so frustrating and oh fuck. Oh shit. I have to talk to him. Fuck. Shit." 

He rushes out of the room, accidentally slamming the door behind him leaving Tony both shocked and amused. 

\-------

"PARKER" , he yells, pulling him out of the group tour with a rough shove. Peter looks downright terrified as he huffs, out of breath from all the running. 

"You're- You're Spider-Man. "

"What? No- No I'm not Spider-Man Flash. What the hell are you talking about. " 

"Don't fucking lie to me Parker. I already know." 

"Did- ugh, did Tony tell you anything? " 

"No. He didn't fucking tell me anything. I figured it out. You're an idiot." 

"You can't tell anyone, Flash. You just can't." 

Flash looks at him. Peter just looks resigned now. Like he expects him to expose his alter ego.

"Of course. I don't want some creepy 30 year old furry to attack us just because you're one yourself."

Peter smiles. "Yeah whatever, tell that to the Spider-Man t-shirt that I know you have." 

"Fuck you, Parker" , he says, with no actual malice in his voice, just teasing. 

The next day, Peter leaves a Spider-Man plushie in his locker and Flash throws it at his head. 

"WHAT? ITS EVEN SIGNED BY SPIDER-MAN! I THOUGHT YOU'D LIKE IT !", Peter shrieks, more amused than anything. 

And if Flash pockets the plushie when he isn't looking, well, neither of them say anything about it.

**Author's Note:**

> Tell me what you think in the comments I'll be reading all of them hopefully. Tell me if there are any grammatical mistakes I'm writing this on my phone thanks as ilu guys sm


End file.
